By ERIC MOORE
THREE dead bodies have been found after a helicopter crashed in Bonny waterways in Rivers State.
Report gathered said the accident occurred on Thursday, at about 11:22 am.
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace development, Mr. Festus Keyamo, has sympathized with family of those that lost their lives in the helicopter that crashed today near Finima Bonny ocean.
The minister, in a statement from the ministry, stated that the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau has been notified and emergency response teams were immediately activated, and search and rescue operations are ongoing with the support of the Nigerian Search and Rescue Unit, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).
The helicopter, a Sikorsky SK76 with registration 5NBQG and operated by East Wind Aviation, was en-route from Port Harcourt Military Base (DNPM) to the NUIMANTAN oil rig.
The aircraft, with eight persons on board, ditched into the waters near Bonny Finima in the Atlantic Ocean.
The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau has been notified and emergency response teams were immediately activated.
Pentoks News gathered that search and rescue operations are ongoing with the support of the Nigerian Search and Rescue Unit, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), the National Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB), and other relevant agencies.
“While no Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) signal was received, manual efforts to plot the location of the accident are underway, and all available resources, including the military and low-flying aircraft, have been deployed to assist in locating and rescuing any survivor(s). So far, three bodies have been recovered.”
Neighbouring aerodromes have also been notified for support.